Voters have their say

An uneasy feeling has crept over many local residents faced with the dilemma of who to vote for in the presidential race.

By Damian Mann

An uneasy feeling has crept over many local residents faced with the dilemma of who to vote for in the presidential race.

"I'm not voting at all," said Karen Gottsch, a Medford Republican who voted for former President George W. Bush twice. "I held my nose once before, and I won't do it again."

Gottsch's position is stronger than most, though many residents expressed reservations about both candidates. Some said they're still undecided, while others have grown more frustrated with the race between President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.

"I haven't listened to one single thing out of either one of them in months," Gottsch said. "I have no opinion."

Another Medford Republican, Hannah Messenger, said, "It's really hard for me to decide. I want to make a decision on who I think will make the right choices."

Messenger said she was supportive of Ron Paul during the primary, but disappointed he didn't win.

Madison Parmenter, a Medford Democrat who is leaning toward Obama, said the debates left her cold and puzzled as to the choice she will have to make Nov. 6.

"I was not impressed with either one of their answers," she said. "They were more interested in battling each other and showing each other who's the boss."

Both Romney and Obama have a tendency to talk down to the American people, she said.

Parmenter said she believes Obama has been trying to fix the problems he inherited from the prior administration, but he hasn't done enough to get American troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It might be good to give him more time to fix the things he's inherited," she said.

As to Romney, she said his tendency to push women's buttons on certain issues doesn't sit well with her.